Speaking at the ACE BPSC 2026 conference, Kacır said that close interaction with the American business world is an important part of Türkiye-US relations.
Kacır said, "Under the leadership of our President, Mr. Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, and US President, Mr. Donald Trump, there is a clear and common political will to further deepen our economic relations and move towards our bilateral trade target of 100 billion dollars." he said.
Stating that the world is going through a multi-layered transformation that reshapes economic structures, political alliances and technological priorities, Kacır continued his words as follows:
"Strategic autonomy in production and technology has become one of the fundamental elements of sovereignty. A new trade architecture is taking shape that attaches more importance to supply security, proximity to markets and reliable partnerships. At the same time, the increasingly accelerating pace of technological change redraws the boundaries of industrial competitiveness and economic power. The ability to develop disruptive technologies, integrate them into industrial production and offer them to global markets distinguishes more and more clearly between the countries that shape the next era of the world economy and the countries that only adapt to this transformation. The strong production we have created in the last 20 years "Thanks to its infrastructure, we have doubled our share in the global manufacturing industry added value."
Kacır underlined that annual goods exports increased from only 36 billion dollars in 2002 to 283 billion dollars.
Stating that Türkiye plays a vital role in European value chains and a broader perspective, from solar panels to commercial vehicles, from steel and building materials to furniture and textiles, Kacır explained that it supplies products to a variety of sectors that very few countries have.
Kacır said, "The growth in our industry is supported by the strong innovation ecosystem we have created. Today, more than 1700 R&D and design centers develop solutions that advance high value-added production with the power of highly qualified engineers and technicians." he said.
"MORE THAN 13 THOUSAND COMPANIES ARE DEVELOPING TOMORROW'S TECHNOLOGIES TODAY"
Minister of Industry and Technology Kacır stated that "More than 13 thousand companies in 115 technoparks are developing tomorrow's technologies today."
Stating that there were only 29 thousand R&D personnel in Turkey in the early 2000s, Kacır pointed out that today this number has reached 311 thousand.
Kacır continued his words as follows:
"The progress we have made in the field of R&D and technology shows its concrete results most clearly in our rapidly developing defense industry. Today, Turkey is the world leader in UAV systems. We now design, develop and produce our own training aircraft, helicopters, naval platforms, land systems and satellites.
Every major paradigm shift in technology presents a similar window of opportunity for us. Our national and fully electric car, Togg, is the embodiment of this vision. "We aim to multiply such success stories in many different areas and move Turkey to higher levels in the global high-technology value chain."
Kacır emphasized that they have made calls under 11 different headings within the scope of HIT-30 so far and have ensured the implementation of a significant number of investments.
Kacır said, "We have implemented our Green Transformation and Digital Transformation Programs to support companies to modernize their production processes, increase resource efficiency and adopt advanced technologies." he said.
Stating that they provided more than 1 billion dollars with the World Bank to support industrialists, SMEs and green technology initiatives, Kacır stated that they took an important step towards providing 5 billion euros of international financing for green transformation investments in cooperation with EBRD.
Kacır said, "We will continue to take all necessary steps to ensure the growth of the Turkish economy through stronger production, more innovation and higher added value." he said.
Underlining that they mobilize public resources through various funds and joint investment mechanisms, Kacır said:
"We reduce early stage risks, encourage private capital and accelerate the journey of innovative ideas to turn into globally growing companies. TEKNOFEST, the world's largest aviation and technology festival, included millions of young people in the innovation journey. Thanks to our unique garage model, Turkey is experiencing its golden age in technology entrepreneurship. We are implementing new programs that will provide a solid growth ground for our enterprises to scale. We launched the Turcorn 100 Program to provide end-to-end support to enterprises that have the potential to become Turcorns."
"WE WILL INCREASE DATA CENTER CAPACITY TO 1 GW BY 2030"
Kacır said that thanks to the New Digital Company platform, it will be possible for startups to complete their company establishment processes completely online.
Stating that they are determined to direct the artificial intelligence revolution for the benefit of humanity, based on the principles of justice, compassion and responsibility, Kacır stated that they will increase their data center capacity to 1 GW by 2030 and mobilize at least 10 billion dollars of private sector investment in the fields of artificial intelligence, cloud technologies and digital infrastructure.
Kacır said, "Artificial Intelligence Growth Zones will provide investors, SMEs and researchers with ready access to energy and digital infrastructure. Today, we are among the countries that can design, develop, produce, test and operate their own satellites." made his assessment.
Kacır said, "The production, assembly and integration processes of our lunar vehicle have been completed and we plan to launch it in the first months of 2027. Turkey has also strengthened international cooperation in peaceful and sustainable space research by joining the Artemis Agreements." he said.
Stating that they have established a private space technopark, Kacır emphasized that they have developed a spaceport in Somalia that will give Turkey an important ability to launch its own space systems.
Minister Kacır said:
"The Customs Union and our extensive network of Free Trade Agreements allow companies investing in Turkey to reach more than one billion consumers with high purchasing power. The Turkish economy is one of the fastest growing economies in Europe. Our population is 10 to 15 years younger than most developed countries. We are building an integrated infrastructure network based on railways, ports, roads, energy networks and high-capacity fiber connections.
Within the scope of our Industrial Areas Master Plan, we have taken steps to increase our industrial areas from 160 thousand hectares to 350 thousand hectares by 2030. To the east, the Zangezur Corridor has the potential to strengthen Turkey's connectivity to Azerbaijan, Central Asia and more broadly to the Central Corridor via the South Caucasus. "The Southern Development Path is designed to create a new north-south trade axis connecting the Gulf to European markets via Iraq and Türkiye."
Kacır emphasized that in the West, the Northern Marmara Railway will strengthen the railway backbone of Turkey's largest industrial and logistics region and improve the connections between production centers, ports and international railway corridors.
Stating that they invite American investors to take an active role in this new stage of Turkey's development, Kacır said, "Türkiye is already a well-established and strong investment destination for US companies." he said.
Kacır concluded his words as follows:
"Turkey and the United States have every reason to think bigger, act together and build a more ambitious economic partnership for the coming years. The important thing is to transform this common vision into concrete projects, stronger investment flows, deeper technology collaborations and permanent commercial partnerships. As the Ministry of Industry and Technology, our doors are always open to you as the public authority responsible for investments and incentives. We hope that this valuable meeting will open new paths for further and deeper cooperation between our business worlds and serve the mutual benefit of our countries." I hope so."
